Tehran, IRNA – The world should stand against unilateralism of the United States in a united front, said Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani on Friday.
Shamkhani made the remarks in a meeting with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev during their visit to Tajikistan in order to take part in the fourth Regional Security Dialogue in Dushanbe.
Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, and his Iranian counterpart discussed issues of mutual interests as well as regional and international developments.
Shamkhani expressed satisfaction with high level of consultations between Russia and Iran, underlining the need for enhancement of mutual coordination and collaboration to address new developments in international arena.
The Iranian official pointed to the West’s immense sanctions on Russia, noting that the Islamic Republic, which has been under sanctions for 43 years, has turned into the symbol of nullifying embargo as a tool to impose political will on independent countries.
He urged formation of a strategic Moscow-Tehran cooperation to encounter the United States’ unilateralistic policies, adding that it seems the sanctions on Russia will not come to an end following cessation of hostility between Kiev and Moscow; thus, preparation of a unified system to expand collaborations among sanctioned countries should be on agenda.
According to the Iranian official, a good rise in economic interactions between the two sides will speed up development of ties in other areas of cooperation.
The enhancement of collaborations among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as well as preparation of financial, banking and tariff mechanisms can play a key role in reducing effectiveness of the illegal sanctions, he went on to say.
The West plans to involve Russia in Ukraine crisis in a bid to derail Russians from focusing on other arenas particularly the Central Asia, Caucasus, and Syria, he said, noting that certain states want to misuse the Ukraine crisis to pursue their own expansionism in the region, so standing against such ambitious plans is necessary.
As to the current situation in Afghanistan and continuation of the presence of terrorist groups in the war-torn country, Shamkhani said that lack of an inclusive government in the neighboring state is one of the main reasons behind the instability and insecurity as well as economic hardship in Afghanistan.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA
